The Midland County Sheriff’s Department will purchase 12 new Tasers thanks to a grant from the state.

After a unanimous agreement by county commissioners on Tuesday, the county will receive a Medical Marihuana Operation and Oversight grant for $17,565.

“The money comes from the number of people that sign up for their medical marijuana cards and also the renewal fees they have to pay,” County Sheriff Scott Stephenson said. “There is an equation that the Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) uses for each county and the number they came up with for Midland County was $17,565.”

Current Tasers are starting to see an increased need to be shipped away for maintenance.

“It is just not worth it to keep sending them back in,” Stephenson said.

Total cost for the 12 Tasers will be about $18,600, leaving a $1,000 difference to be funded from the sheriff's office budget for 2018.

"A Taser is used as a non-lethal force,” Capt. Tracy Thomas said. “They have been shown to reduce injuries to suspects, but also law enforcement personnel.”

Current Tasers have a cartridge that allows for just one shot. The new X2, which is already being used at the County Jail, will allow deputies to use the Taser on two suspects at the same time.

“One of the unfortunate things when dealing with drugs is that sometimes you have to go to homes and make arrests of more than one person,” Thomas said.

The new Tasers come with a five-year warranty and will be used for road patrol with one Taser going to BAYANET.

“The old Tasers will be sold back to the company,” Stephenson said. “Sometimes in the past we have sold them to Coleman Police Department. It will be a small amount.”